The battlefield lay exposed, yet Prince Sebas of the Retalia Empire seemed unaware of it.
When large numbers of Raitelia scouts entered Tavitsky Province to reconnoiter, they spotted Major General Marlow's army. Inevitably, the players spotted and tracked them down as well.
Thus, that very evening, Major General Marlow received the news too.
The bitter night wind swept fine snow against the thick canvas tents of Marlow's temporary army headquarters.
Inside the tent, Major General Marlow's expression was even grimmer than the weather outside.
Spread before him were several reports from the prince's guard scouts and his own reconnaissance troops. Their contents were remarkably consistent, all pointing to one cold fact.
They had been marked, and the troops watching them were the Retalians' elite cavalry.
The reports described at least two Raitelia cavalry forces wearing different patterns of armor and bringing spare mounts. Like ghosts, they roamed the snowfields not far from the flanks and rear of the Ninth and Tenth Corps' marching columns.
The activity and numbers of these scouts went far beyond ordinary security patrols.
The prince's guards accompanying the army had already engaged them, but no matter how many casualties they suffered, these Retalians kept desperately pushing closer, trying to scout their positions.
"Hmph. They've already brought back over a hundred scout corpses. Prince Sebas certainly thinks highly of us."
Marlow jabbed a finger hard at the enemy scout numbers listed in the report, his voice low and tinged with gravity.
"It seems Raitelia's third prince is eager to settle the score after taking that heavy blow. He wants to swallow our 'isolated army' whole before we reach the military camp."
The atmosphere inside the tent instantly turned icy. The battalion and regimental commanders and staff officers gathered around the map looked tense and worried.
They knew